MISSION:
Provides housing for younger adult/juvenile males primarily between the ages of 13 and 22. Provides diagnostic, MH/MR, academic/vocational, substance abuse programs and other basic program services for this population.

DIRECTIONS:
From Atlanta: I-85 North to I-985, which turns into Highway 365 North of Gainesville. Travel approximately 15 miles from Gainesville. After passing the Habersham County road sign, travel approximately one mile and turn right onto Mt. Zion Road. Continue straight at the four-way stop. At the dead end by the fire station, turn left. Arrendale SP is on the left.

christ04

06-23-2004, 09:51 AM

Hi, My Best Friend Of 12 Years Is In Lee Arrendale And I Just Found Out This Morning His Parole Was Denied. He Has To Do All Of His Sentence. (novemeber 2007). I Just Feel Like Everything I Wanted From God Has Been Snatched Away From Me. I Don't Know What To Do Anymore. My Spirit Is At An All Time Low. If Anyone Could Please Send Me Back Any Info About This Prison, Visitation, Directions From Tallahassee Fl To There., Etc. Anything I Would Appreciate It. Thanks

andy'sangel066

06-25-2004, 09:13 AM

Does anyone have any information on what I can send to an inmate of this prison? Any information given would be greatly appreciated!

christ04

06-25-2004, 10:29 AM

Hello, I Don't Know The Policy But I Send Letters, Articles Off The Internet, And Once I Tried To Send A Bible And A Book Chicken Soup For The Prisoner's Soul. I Was Told That I Couldn't Send The Bible But The Company I Bought It From Had To Send It Or He Couldn't Receive It. So I Took It To A Local Christian Book Store And They Sent It. But They Didn't Let Him Get The Book, Just The Bible. Try Calling The Particular Facility. Lee Arrendale's Number Is 1706-776-4700:)

Kat

06-25-2004, 03:29 PM

when i send books to Rogers state in Ga,He has to have it ok by the warden and send me a slip,I then take to book store give them the slip and they mail him the books,same goes for everything else i send like cd's ect i have to have a slip but i can mail them hope this helps...

momoftc

06-25-2004, 11:34 PM

i am interested in receiving mail from anyone who has a friend or loved one in lee arrendale state prison. that is where my son is and it would be good to talk to others who had people there

LORNA

06-27-2004, 08:03 PM

mY FRIEND WAS THERE - BUT THIS WAS years aGO. i DON'T KNOW IF THE SAME INFO WOULD STILL BE APPLICABLE.

christ04

06-28-2004, 10:45 AM

Momoftc, How Long Has Your Son Been There. Have You Went To Visit Him? I'm Hoping To Go Up There Pretty Soon. My Best Friend Is Incarcerated There.

jac-

07-04-2004, 12:57 PM

i am interested in receiving mail from anyone who has a friend or loved one in lee arrendale state prison. that is where my son is and it would be good to talk to others who had people there
I have a loved one in Arrendale State Prison. I live in Whitfield County, Dalton Georgia. If you want to contact me my email address is hkg@chartertn.net

christ04

07-07-2004, 12:41 PM

Hello Could Anyone Give Me Some Info On Visitation To Lee Arrendale State Prison In Alto Ga. Ie What To Wear, Hours, Etc.

StillHoping

07-09-2004, 12:47 PM

Ah, I actually saved the word document I had on this!

Mind you this info is almost a year old at this point...

If you have specific questions, you can call Donna Wilson.. just call the main number and asked to be transfered to her. You'll most likely get her assistant.. but don't worry, I was always called back the same day when I left her a message. She's quite helpful!

Attire: Wear jeans -- no low cut or halter tops.. If you wear white make SURE it's not see-through. I was told Sandals were a nono... but my friend told me that people wear them to visits all the time. I'd wear sneakers just to be safe!

If your coming from another state you can visit both Saturday and Sunday. You may or may not be asked to show your plane ticket as proof of your travel..

You can bring $25 in quarters... in a plastic ziplock baggie. DO NOT get one of those clear change purses with a zipper.. those are nonos. 1 key, 1 ID, 1 bag of quarters is all you can bring in.

I was going from the west coast to the east so I had scheduled my visit -- you can call and ask on that...

Pictures can be taken at the visit... the inmate has to purchase the picture cards (like gift cards).. I think they were like $5 each... the pics are given to the inmate and then he'll/she'll mail it to you.

I don't know much about the actual visit process-this is just what I was told -- went through the whole damned process and never even made it to my visit! Probably turned out for the better though.. My penpal just stopped writing to me -- he was starting to ask for things -- money, clothes, etc.. and when I didn't pay out he stopped writing.

I also had some info on the care package items that they are allowed to receive .. let me know if you want that list too. That one I had faxed to me from the prison. You can also have your loved one send you the list. The list MUST be sent along with the package.. it's to verify what's inside... blah blah.. he/she must also sign it and have it approved PRIOR to sending it to you for you to send the pkg.

christ04

07-09-2004, 12:58 PM

still hoping, thank you so very much. you are God send. And yes please send me the info on the care package items. Once again thank you so much. I'm planning to go up there the end of the month.

StillHoping

07-09-2004, 02:55 PM

Ok, I'll try to post that one tonite.. that one really is in a box somewhere... it's in one of the letters I received. This is the stuff I got -- but I'll post the complete list later if I can find it....

- Socks - White, NO logo.. not even the hanes logo. Crew or ankle are ok.
- Underware-boxers or briefs - must be white also
- Tshirts-white, tagless (hanes makes these...logo on this one passed thru ok)
- Tanktops-white, tagless
- Pajamas-burgandy in color only (THats's WIERD do you know how hard it is to find mens pajamas in burgandy!!!!!!!) Try the old people section at like Sears.. heh.
- Sweatpants/shirt - Navy Blue or Gray only
- Pens-clear barreled -- limit 12 pens
- Watch - there's a limit on the amount you can spend...I forget what this is.
- Ring - allowed one.. also a limit on the amount-has to be apprvd by prison, marked into property-etc.
- CDs-Must be NEW in shrink wrap---nothing with parental consent stickers--you can peel these off if you just take your time. Same with cassettes.

There are other things you can check off and the place purchases for you...
theres CD Players - Cassette Players, tvs... stuff like that. That is also on the list and you check it off and send along a MO with the form and they give them whatever you buy.

I can't remember if they can receive one every year, or twice a year... I only sent one.

ps. Visits for out of state were for 6-8hrs each day back then.

Good luck!!

Wagon

08-09-2004, 02:04 PM

Does anyone have any loved ones in Arrendale? Any info or stories are welcome. Thanks.

angeldove45

10-16-2004, 08:07 AM

Hi I Just Found Out My Son Went Arrendald Prison If Anyone Has Any Info. On This Prison Please Let Me Know I'am So Worried About Him. I Thought He Was Going To Jackson Ga But He Did'nt.i Need To Find Out About The Vist. And Anythang You Know Please. Thanks. Sarah

angeldove45

10-17-2004, 08:24 PM

Does anyone have any loved ones in Arrendale? Any info or stories are welcome. Thanks.hi yeas my son just got sent to arrendale prison and i'm so scared for him. they have two differnt address'es at arrendale do anyone know the right one please let me know. thanks

christ04

10-18-2004, 09:34 AM

Angeldove, My Best Friend Is At Arrendale Prison. It Has Been In The Spotlight For Many Months Now. A Guy Was Killed Up There Back In Feb And It Is Considered The 2nd Most Violent In Ga. Don't Mean To Scare You Sweetie, Just Being Honest. There Is Currently A Lawsuit Filed Against The Prison By The Southern Center For Human Rights In Atlanta. What I Have Done Is This: Go To The Ga Forum And There Are Many Articles About Arrendale In There. You Can Also Go Up To Search Links And Type In Arrendale And It Will Pull Up All Post Dealing With Arrendale. Hope This Helps. The Prison Is Outsie Of Atlanta About 45 Minutes.

angeldove45

10-18-2004, 10:50 AM

can anyone tell me how to send my son a bible in prison please let me no

christ04

10-20-2004, 12:09 PM

all you have to do is go to a christian bookstore and have them send it to him because you cant send it, it has to come from a bookstore or they won't let him have it. this is what i had to do. you just pay them the postage. you can either buy the bible from them or from any other source.

tkimball828

09-14-2005, 02:12 PM

My Friend Is Arrendale. She Will Be Getting Out In October Of This Year, So She Only Has A Few Days Left. She Writes Us Some, But Her Mother And I Write A Lot. It Keeps Her Spirits Up. We Also Send Pictures From A Digital Camera Printed Of A Computer On Regular Copy Paper So She Can See What Is Going On. She Really Loves It. Helps To Make Her Fell Closer To Home...

MrTuna

08-26-2007, 08:33 AM

This kinda helped. Well the location and phone numbers. But Arrendale is now an all womens prison, due to all the violence that was going on as a male prison.
Is the violence or has the rehabilitation programs changed?

gramnancy

09-25-2007, 09:32 AM

Lee Arrendale is now a woman's faith-based prison...is this correct? Does anyone have a loved one or friend who is an inmate there?

gramnancy

09-26-2007, 02:44 PM

Helpful info...thanks Strongernow, but this is no longer accurate:
ADULT MALE/JUVENILE FELONS
I don't know anything about Arrendale, but I know it is now a women's prison. Could this info be updated.

jsnake

11-03-2007, 05:06 PM

it is now and has been for awhile a womens prison housing up 2000 women right now. It has everything that the men had such as farm,volunteer fire dept,etc, but also they are working on a carpet factory and the women will get paid a nonimal fee for it but it is currently not functional due to finances...I have a friend who i have supported for 10 yrs there, so if any questions, feel free to private me or post here and i will check on occasion but private will be quicker...

Kat

11-05-2007, 07:06 PM

grmnancy that was posted in 2004 lol and ther GDC site still says Adult Male/Juvenile Felons so you see how backwards GDC is Can we say Slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Sunshine's Mom

01-26-2008, 01:08 PM

,,just posting an update about Lee Arrendale State Prison,, AKA "alto" (because it's located in Alto, GA.),, as it came up another thread.
in 2005 it became an ALL female facility & i found some articles i had saved,, (the links no longer work):

Alto may no longer be Georgia's juvenile prison
State plan would turn it into facility for women

By Carlos Campos
November 18, 2004

Alto's notoriety as the town where Georgia's most troubled and dangerous young men are imprisoned may soon come to an end.

Plans are in the works to turn Lee Arrendale State Prison in northeast Georgia into a women's prison, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Most of Arrendale's 1,200 adult male inmates, more than half age 25 and under, will be dispersed to prisons throughout the state. The prison's 11 juveniles, ages 13 to 16, will remain at "Alto," as Arrendale is known, segregated from the women inmates.

As many as 140 inmates, ages 17 to 20 and deemed too vulnerable to enter the adult prison population, would also be housed separately from the juveniles on the Arrendale compound in Habersham County.

The move comes as the Department of Corrections is under intense pressure to curb alleged incidents of rape and violence at Arrendale. The Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta has asked a federal court to force the state prison system to take steps to stop violent attacks at the prison. The Center has documented dozens of incidents of fights, beatings, sexual assaults and other violence and claims the department is failing to protect inmates.

Arrendale holds many of the state's youngest inmates, including 11 juveniles under age 17 who were convicted as adults. Another 71 inmates at Arrendale are 17 years old. Southern Center lawyers and relatives of inmates contend those young men fight daily to survive among older inmates, and will leave prison worse than when they entered. In February, 18-year-old inmate Wayne Boatwright Jr. was strangled to death in his cell at Arrendale. Boatwright's family has settled a lawsuit it filed against the state.

Prison officials are expected Friday to submit to a federal judge their plan to shift Arrendale's inmates as part of the state's response to a court motion filed Sept. 30 by the Southern Center for Human Rights.

"Upon review and recommendation of my staff, I am changing the mission of Arrendale to a prison which primarily houses female inmates," Corrections Commissioner James Donald wrote in a document expected to be filed Friday. The movement of inmates from Arrendale has already begun, Donald said, and should be complete by April 1.

Donald also says in the filing that keeping Arrendale properly staffed with prison guards has been difficult, due to "a competitive job market" in Habersham County. Southern Center lawyers have argued that understaffing and lax security has been a problem at the prison.

Prison officials said Thursday the moves are motivated as much by economics as a need to remedy problems at Arrendale.

Corrections officials say they want to better utilize Washington State Prison in Davisboro, a 1,200-inmate close security women's prison. The women held in Washington State Prison will be moved to Arrendale, and that prison will eventually hold male inmates. The modern layout of cellblocks at Washington State, opened in 1992, should allow fewer prison guards to keep an eye on more inmates.

Brian Owens, executive assistant to Donald, said it takes about $17.4 million a year and 230 employees to operate Washington State Prison. Arrendale is far more expensive to run, at $26 million a year and 430 employees. Owens noted that one-third of the overtime paid out by the Department of Corrections is paid to Arrendale employees.

Corrections officials have acknowledged that Arrendale, which has eight inmate housing units built over several decades, is more difficult to keep secure due to the layout of some of the cellblocks. Some of the attacks at Arrendale have occurred in a housing unit where inmates live in college dormitory-style housing, with up to eight inmates sharing a room. The dorm is configured in such a way that makes it difficult for guards to make easy visual checks. Prison system officials believe women will get along better in such an environment.

Arrendale has gained notoriety over the years as the place where young troublemakers are sent.

The stately, 76-year-old brick building anchoring the prison grounds was built as a tuberculosis hospital. In 1952, it became the Georgia Industrial Institute, a reform school for boys.

Like many boys who grew up in Georgia, current Arrendale Warden Tony Turpin, a Habersham County native who began his 24-year career as a guard at the prison, recalls a common refrain.

"I grew up — 'If you do wrong, you'll go to Alto,'" Turpin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a July interview. Turpin will likely remain as warden of the women's prison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some officials question Alto prison changes

Lee Arrendale to be used for women only

19 December 2004
By RICK LAVENDER
The Times
Gainesville Times, GA
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20041219/localnews/60991.shtml

A former state senator and others are questioning financial and
practical aspects of plans to convert Lee Arrendale State Prison
into a women's prison.

John Foster opposes the transition that made headlines last month.
Foster, senator for Northeast Georgia's 50th District from 1975 to
1992 and a four-year Board of Corrections member, contends the
change is a knee-jerk reaction to media reports of violence at the
Alto prison.

"I think it's additional costs that are not necessary," Foster said
after a tour of Lee Arrendale last week with District 50 State Sen.-
elect Nancy Schaefer and corrections department officials.

"If they do have some problems, (Lee Arrendale) could be tweaked ...
with the system they have now," he said.

But the chief assistant to corrections department Commissioner James
Donald said Friday that the move has nothing to do with publicity
and makes better use of 1,200-bed Lee Arrendale, which requires more
staffing as a maximum security prison than it will with female
inmates who require less intensive monitoring.

Brian Owens also countered recent word that the decision hadn't been
finalized. "It's going to happen," he said.

The plan is to finish moving inmates by April. Felons younger than
17 but convicted as adults will remain at Lee Arrendale. The prison
has 11 now, all separated from adults by law.

About 300 males already have been transferred. But more than 100
male inmates up to 20 years old but considered too vulnerable to be
moved into the adult prison population also will stay.

That means Lee Arrendale will be operating as two or more prisons in
one, suggests Foster, a longtime advocate of the prison. He said
some programs, such as the 500-plus-acre farm and a small fire
department, will suffer.

Corrections field operations manager Arnold DePetro said programs
can be tailored to women.

Foster also contends that staffing needs, which corrections says add
up to $225,000 a year in overtime, won't be eased by the switch
because it will be as hard to find female guards.

Owens said Lee Arrendale is one domino in a line of system changes.
Its male inmates will be transferred to other prisons, while women
prisoners will be trucked in from Washington State Prison, near
Davisboro in southeastern Georgia.

Only about 300 women at Washington State require the high level of
security that the prison, opened in 1992, is designed to provide,
Owens said.

In comparison, Lee Arrendale was built over decades and is anchored
by what was a tuberculosis hospital in 1928. The setup and security
grade (one building is rated for maximum security) requires more
staff and money to operate: about $24 million a year and nearly
double the staff compared to $15 million for Washington State, Owens
said.

Male inmates will eventually fill the beds at Washington State,
reports say.

Lee Arrendale faces a lawsuit filed by the Southern Center for Human
Rights and tied to the death of an 18-year-old inmate in February.
Staff attorney Sarah Geraghty said the Atlanta organization
is "pleased with the department's decision" to change the prison
makeup.

Marcia Scroggs isn't. The Alto business owner has chaired the
Habersham Rotary Club's outreach to Lee Arrendale since it started
some five years ago.

Beyond what she considers shaky economics, Scroggs believes the
moving inmates will be denied the varied vocational and academic
training they receive at Lee Arrendale, where programs range from
culinary skills to wiring. She also fears they'll lose credits and
privileges they have earned.

At a recent GED graduation of more than 200 prisoners, many "were
just down and out about it," Scroggs said.

Danny Moody, a former assistant warden at Lee Arrendale and
corrections department retiree, said women, like youth, are more
problematic as prisoners. Moody's opinion is that the younger
inmates could have been moved to a small detention center, leaving
Lee Arrendale to deal with only adult males.

Schaefer promised a close look at the issue, saying it should be
studied thoroughly.

Gov. Sonny Perdue's office did not respond with comment Friday. The
Board of Corrections has not voted on the transition, officials
said.

No official cost estimate on the change has been released.

The community isn't expected to feel an economic impact.

Owens and Foster also praised Lee Arrendale warden Tony Turpin and
his staff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

notice,, NO date on this one

The Center's Prison Cases in the News
Juvenile Male Inmates Moved From Lee Arrendale State Prison
To be Housed at Al Burruss Correctional Training Center

ATLANTA – Corrections Commissioner James Donald announced today the completion of the final move of male inmates from the Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto (Habersham County), Georgia. In January 2005, the agency began the transition of male inmates from Lee Arrendale to Washington State Prison in Sparta (Hancock County), Georgia. The female inmates at Washington State Prison were moved to Lee Arrendale.

As part of the final phase of the facilities’ changeover, Corrections has moved the remaining juvenile male population along with its most at-risk youthful offenders to a more modern and centrally located facility, the Al Burruss Correctional Training Center in Forsyth (Monroe County), Georgia. This prison is located on the campus of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

“We’re focusing on best practices, and the current mission realignments provide opportunities for better managed environments for specific inmate populations,” said Corrections Commissioner James Donald. “This transition will move us in the right direction for optimizing operations in existing facilities.”

According to Donald, realigning the missions of the Lee Arrendale, Al Burruss and Washington facilities has involved a three-fold operational concept. First, Corrections moved one of its lower-risk female prison populations into a sprawling, campus-designed facility that offers gender-specific correctional programming. Lee Arrendale’s “inside” perimeter spans 20 acres with 11 buildings and is the first facility of its size used to house female inmates in Georgia. Second, a high-risk male inmate population was moved to a modern high security prison in Davisboro ( Washington County), GA. In the final component, Corrections has moved its most youthful offenders, ages 13-17, from Lee Arrendale to Al Burruss, where age appropriate correctional programming for younger offenders will be the focus of the new specialized unit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arrendale State Prison
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lee Arrendale State Prison is located in Alto, Georgia. It became exclusively a women's prison in early 2005. A number of the juvenile male inmates were kept there until mid-2005 when they were moved to other prisons in the state. The prison has four dormitories and a medical building. The guards at Arrendale are still transitioning from one of the most violent prisons in Georgia to a general purpose women's prison. Recently, in March 2006, the prison took in 350 women prisoners from Georgia's overflowing jail system.

In 2004, the prison housed 1200 adult male inmates, mostly under the age of 25, in addition to 11 juveniles between the ages of 13 and 16. 140 of the adult inmates between the ages of 17 and 20 were declared too vulnerable to be housed with the general population.

It has come under scrutiny for failing to ensure the safety of its youth inmates. One inmate was strangled to death in February 2004. At the prison, juvenile inmates are kept separate from the adult population, but attend education classes together.

As a result of the prison's troubles, the state of Georgia has decided to make Arrendale a mostly women's prison, to improve its status as the second most violent prison in the state.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MISSION:
Provides housing for younger adult/juvenile males primarily between the ages of 13 and 22. Provides diagnostic, MH/MR, academic/vocational, substance abuse programs and other basic program services for this population.

DIRECTIONS:
From Atlanta: I-85 North to I-985, which turns into Highway 365 North of Gainesville. Travel approximately 15 miles from Gainesville. After passing the Habersham County road sign, travel approximately one mile and turn right onto Mt. Zion Road. Continue straight at the four-way stop. At the dead end by the fire station, turn left. Arrendale SP is on the left.